VIN Decoder
Honda VIN Decoder
Honda has built cars in Ohio since 1982, so a large share of American Hondas carry a 1HG or 2HG prefix rather than a Japanese J code. Acura shares the manufacturing base but decodes as its own make.
Decode a Honda VIN
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Honda WMI prefixes
The first three characters of a VIN are the World Manufacturer Identifier. For Honda they identify both the manufacturer and, usually, the country and plant of assembly.
| WMI | What it identifies |
|---|---|
| 1HG | Honda of America, Ohio — Accord and Civic |
| 2HG | Honda of Canada Manufacturing, Ontario |
| 5FN | Honda, Alabama — Pilot, Odyssey, Ridgeline |
| 5J6 | Honda, Ohio / Indiana — CR-V |
| JHM | Honda, built in Japan — passenger cars |
| JHL | Honda, built in Japan — SUVs |
| 19U | Acura, built in North America |
These are Honda’s common assignments, not a complete register. Manufacturers hold many WMI codes and are allocated more over time. The decode itself comes from NHTSA, not from this table.
What to know about Honda VINs
The floor stamp is worth finding
Honda stamps the VIN into the floor pan under the front passenger carpet on many models. It is the hardest of the locations to alter and the easiest to forget to check, which makes it a useful cross-reference on a used purchase.
Civic Si and Type R share a model field
Performance variants frequently decode with Model 'Civic' and the distinguishing detail carried in Series or Trim. Check the engine displacement on the report — it is the reliable separator.
Acura is a separate make
An Acura VIN decodes with Make 'Acura'. If you are checking an Acura, use the VIN as normal; the report will simply identify it under its own badge.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Honda VIN starting with 1HG mean?
1HG is the World Manufacturer Identifier for Honda passenger cars built in the United States, principally at Marysville, Ohio. It is one of the most common VIN prefixes on American roads because Accord and Civic production has run there for decades.
Where else is the VIN on a Honda Civic?
Besides the windshield and door jamb, Honda stamps the VIN into the floor beneath the front passenger carpet. Lift the carpet edge to find it. It should match the windshield plate exactly.
Does a Japanese-built Honda differ from an American-built one?
For specification purposes the VIN tells you which plant built the car, and that is genuinely useful for parts and recall matching. It is not by itself a quality signal — Honda builds to the same specification across its plants.